Curiouser and Curiouser
by Sadistic-but-sweet
Summary: "A wedding, between a cat and a hat? She was invited? It was a most ridiculous notion, completely laughable. Everyone else would've thrown the card away and thought nothing more of it... However, Alice was not 'Everyone.'"
1. 1 Down the Rabbit Hole, Again

A/N: Hello everyone, I'm Sadie/Celia, and welcome to my second (if we're getting technical) fanfiction. This is something I've been working on for three months, inspired by a comment made after my friends and I watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. This is probably only going to be 2-3 chapters, made purely for a little bit of fun and fluff. Also, I don't remember the film too well, so parts of the personalities and concepts are not just from the film, but also from the original novel, American McGee's Alice, the Disney film, and my own imagination. Especially Alice's personality is taken from American McGee's.

I do hope you all enjoy! I'd adore constructive criticism and reviews :)

~Sadie

* * *

Her room was nothing magnificent. Some would even call it drab or dull, but Alice found it homely. It was just as she had left it a year ago, with maps stacked neatly on her desk beside some books. An old chair set before the desk, half-pushed out and left there as it was when Alice rushed to leave. Her bed was tidily made, the amber curtains drawn back from the window. Evening light filtered in to illuminate the rather plain room. The maids had kept the dust off of her belongings, for which Alice was grateful. It was wonderful to be home after her time at sea, however brief the visit may be. She was looking forward to sleeping in a bed that didn't sway with the rise and fall of the waves.

Yes, Alice's room was simplistic, but the card sitting on the desk beside her maps and her books was not.

From across the room it caught her eye. It was glaringly out-of-place, dark green and blue paper edged with golden swirls. Even from across the room she could read the curly font adorning the front of the card - "You're Invited." Invited to what? A small frown pulled at the corners of Alice's lips as she gazed at the card, pondering this.

"Curious," she muttered to herself, gently setting her bags aside. She could unpack later. For now she had to sate her own curiosity. With four long steps she cross the room, pausing at the desk for a moment before slipping into the old wooden chair. At first she didn't even touch the card, simply admiring the elegant writing and impressive embroidery. She realized, upon closer inspection, that the last two letters formed a kind of smiling face.

Alice tapped her fingers on the desk, worrying her lower lip. Curious. None of the maids had mentioned that anyone had left her a card, nor that anyone had even been to see her.

After a few moments of pondering she picked up the card and flipped it open. Alice found herself presented with nothing but glittering text of different colors and shades. For that moment, Alice had to admit she was briefly disappointed, having expected something much bigger. Something exciting and grand. Exactly what that was, she wasn't sure, but she certainly hadn't expect something as ordinary as an elaborate invitation.

Then a voice filled the room.

"Dearest Alice Kingsleigh," Alice heard from nowhere in particular, and gasped, dropping the card as if burned. The voice continued on as if nothing happened. "You are invited to attend a once in a lifetime event -"

"My my, you sound so formal. Trying to impress the girl when this is my event?" another voice cut in, smooth and mocking.

"Shush you!" the first voice cut off. Alice stared down at the card at her feet, squinting. She knew those voices, but from where she couldn't quite place.

There was a brief moment where all could be hear was squabbling in the background. A third, squeaky voice spoke up. "What those two are trying to say, you are invited to the wedding of The Cheshire Cat and Hat."

"I can't believe I am allowing him to marry my favorite hat," came a grumble from the background.

"They do not intend to start without you -" the third voice tried to continue.

"You are one of the bridesmaids," the second voice cut in, getting shushed again.

"- so we expect you here promptly, the moment you get back," the voice finished with a tone of finality, ignoring the arguing in the background.

"Believe in yourself, and you can come to us. You still know the way, correct?" the second voice interjected once more. Alice's head was spinning trying to keep up with the conversation while trying to figure out why they sounded so familiar.

"So don't be late," said the first voice as Alice pondered, "We understand you're probably busy, but we do miss you. So stop by, please?" Alice thought for a moment, frowning. The name was on the tip of her tongue.

"AND THERE'LL BE TEA!"

There was a crash. The sound made Alice jump in fright, surprised. The room echoed with the sound of a cat hissing violently mixed with a curse of "Stupid rabbit! My fur is all wet!", a soft awkward laugh, and a groan of exasperation. A maniacal laugh sounded loudly.

Then all was silent.

For a long time Alice sat there, fingers clutching the armrests of the chair. Her eyes were wide with wonder and fear. Had anyone else in the halls heard that? What would she do if they had? Maybe she was sleeping, and she'd wake up to find they had just arrived at port?

Was that really them?

Shakily Alice reached down, picking up the card again. Upon closer inspection she realized the entire conversation was written on the inside, each color detonating a different speaker. Slowly she read it over once, twice more. Alice flipped the card over, looking at the back, then the front, then the inside again. A wedding, between a cat and a hat? She was invited? It was a most ridiculous notion, completely laughable. Everyone else would've thrown the card away and thought nothing more of it. They would have never given it a second thought, waltzing off to their parties and tea and shallow conversation.

However, Alice was not "Everyone". She didn't like parties, or tea for that matter, and certainly not shallow conversation. She liked adventure, harsh coffee, and conversations of bizarre nature.

Alice gently set the card back down on the desk, checking the clock that hung across the room. It was a few hours before nightfall. "Well, I suppose I ought to get ready," she commented calmly. Smiling softly, Alice suddenly realized she was a little giddy and excited. She glided over to her closet and began rummaging through it, determined to find a dress worthy of a bridesmaid by nightfall.

* * *

Alice checked her pocket watch as she trudged through the dark London streets. The golden watch had been a gift to herself before she set out to sea. It was yet another step away from convention, as women didn't use watches. She also refused to wear corsets, stockings, and ridiculous petticoats, even for a formal occasion such as this. She never had understood the point of such items other than to make summer days even more hot and unbearable.

Carefully she replaced the watch in the pocket of her overcoat. A warm, moist breeze rolled by, bringing promises of rain. Alice sped up, almost running along the dimly lit streets and back alleys. She passed under green trees, through fragrant gardens. Her pale features and snow blond hair made her look like a fleeting apparition to anyone who would dare peer outside at this time of night. However, no one saw her flight, leaving Alice to flee to the old mansion she remembered from so long ago in peace.

The tall iron gates were open, beckoning her. Alice shivered slightly despite the warmth of the summer and her overcoat. The mansion had been abandoned for the summer, the family away at their summer home by the coast. She knew all of this from a brief, inconspicuous conversation with her mother's servants. Alice panted as she paused outside the gates, staring at them. They were still open, proving it to be no trick of the eyes. Alice found this worried her. No wise person would leave their gates unlocked; especially gates to a home he or she knew would be a target for thieves.

The first strike of lighting sounded in the distance, far off yet too close.

"Best be going. For all I know I'm a year late," Alice told herself softly. She risked a glance behind her, finding the darkness falling along the road oddly eerie. However she had come this far, and for all her fears she strolled beyond the gates. She was thankful nothing ominous happened when she did.

It didn't take her long to bolt across the grounds, lush grass squelching underneath her fancy boots she had worn for the occasion, to the garden she remembered with such stunning vividness. The lawn was empty of the usual ornaments, probably having been brought in earlier by the caretakers. She made her way over to the gazebo where, rather embarrassingly, she had received a marriage proposal. She smiled as she remembered the (rather ridiculous) way she had declined. It was a good memory, she decided. It had been the first time she truly voiced her thoughts honestly.

Despite the impending storm Alice moved with no hurry. She ran her hands over the tall hedges, stepping carefully over uneven ground. Her head was in the clouds as she no longer thought about where she was going. Her legs moved of their own accord as the nostalgia took her over.

She had no more dreams of Wonderland, and pondered if it had changed. (She still referred to it by its misheard name, because it seemed to fit just as well as Underland and she felt it was too much trouble learning it by any other name.) It couldn't have changed much, if the residents still remembered her. Would it still be so gloomy? How was the White Queen? Was the Hatter going to treat himself to a new hat since the Cheshire was, apparently, taking his beloved headgear?

She blinked, still trying to comprehend a cat and a hat getting married. Would they go on a honey moon? Would the hat be wearing dress? Or was the hat a male? Alice furrowed her brow in thought, trying to picture the wedding and finding it near impossible to do without laughing.

Her feet lead her to her destination, the opening at the base of the tree looking like an ordinary rabbit hole. Well, if a rabbit was a size of a human. Slowly Alice pulled herself out of her thoughts and bent over, peering into the never-ending darkness. To be completely honest, she was not looking forward to falling again. It was such a peculiar sensation, not entirely unpleasant but certainly disorienting. Swinging her legs over the edge of the hole, she lifted herself and threw her body over the edge feet first.

Alice gasped as she plummeted down the rabbit hole. The wind whipped past, tossing her hair into the wind. She fell past teacups and clocks of all sorts. She saw the Red Queen's crown and a bandersnatch eye. She saw mirrors, stuffed rabbits, dresses, scissors, and many more miscellaneous objects of symbolic nature. When she finally hit the floor, her head was spinning from the trip, images still flying by her eyes as her mind tried to catch up.

There was an excited gasp from near her. "Alice," a voice spoke up, causing Alice to raise her head slowly. For a moment everything continued spinning around her as if she was still falling, but quickly it fell into place. The large white rabbit before her eyed her for a moment before holding up his pocket watch. He tapped it with an insistent finger, gazing at her sternly for a moment.

"You're late," he said as his face lit up with a bright smile. He snapped the watch shut and tucked it into his breast pocket, holding a paw out to help her up. Alice, taking the paw gently, couldn't help the feeling of coming home for real.

She pulled herself up, dusting her overcoat off. "You said I didn't have to be here at any specific time," she told him, but there was a kind smile on her face in return. "I just got home and rushed off the minute it got dark. You didn't expect me to slip here in broad daylight, did you? Besides, I had my mum to visit. She insisted on taking me to eat."

"Right, right. Earthly formalities," the White Rabbit dismissed her excuse with a wave of his paw. "Well, you're here now, and that's all that matters. We must be off, before they get impatient."

Alice didn't even have to ask who "they" were, simply following the Rabbit to the table where the tell-tale vial of clear liquid sat. The White Rabbit dug in the pocket of his vest and produced a miniature dress, a perfect replica of the one she was wearing right now, right down to the satin bow and turquoise hue. Alice blinked, deciding not to ask how they knew which dress she'd be wearing. She was used to bizarre twists, simply taking the dress in her palm with no objections.

"Well go on then. The faster we get there, the better," he said sternly, crossing his paws.

Alice clutched the dress carefully in one hand as she pried open the vial, and with no extra coaxing she sipped a small mouthful. She felt the effects before she even set the vial down again, feeling her body and muscles constrict and shrink. Gasping softly, she looked around her as the world rose around her, feeling blood rush to her head as if she were falling. In all honesty, it wasn't a bad feeling, only peculiar, much like everything else in this world. It was better than the initial fall down the rabbit hole, at least.

Before she knew it she was buried below layers of silk and mesh, her replacement dress now the perfect size to fit her. By time she slipped it on and fought her way out of the mess of fabric above her, the rabbit was already shrunk down to her size and holding the door open for her.

"Coming?" he called, leaving before she could even give a response. Alice did the only thing she could - she ran after him, much like she did as a child.


	2. 2 Welcome, Welcome!

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so stunned with how many liked the first chapter. On the flip side, I'm a bit disappointed with this chapter with how little I got done. Things have been hectic. However I'm going to be gone for two weeks, so I decided to post up with I was satisfied with and work on the rest later. I never said the chapters would be long, after all. I work with tidbits at a time.

Thank you those who have reviewed/favorited/alerted so far. I would've responded to each of you separately (And I still plan to - I haven't forgotten~!) but time gets away from me in the summer.

And remember, these characters aren't mine. Yes yes, you all can beat me for forgetting a disclaimer in the first chapter. *bows* Enjoy!

* * *

Alice followed the White Rabbit, gazing around at the landscape around her. Colorful mushrooms and grasses soared into the sky as they ducked under fallen branches and leapt over streams. "It hasn't changed," she spoke softly to herself, waving at a sunflower.

"Did you expect it to?" the White Rabbit asked, peering over his shoulder at the girl behind him.

"I don't know what I was expecting, but I have been gone some time," Alice commented, squinting past the cheerful shrubbery. She could've sworn she saw a flash of something, bolting amongst the chrysanthemums and mushrooms. However it was gone as quickly as Alice spotted it. There was nothing there, Alice thought, all just a trick of the mind.

The White Rabbit continued on, oblivious to Alice's distraction. "Yes, well, since the Red Queen was banished, things have been rather peaceful. No more destruction, nor misery. The White Queen has been working hard to restore the kingdom to its former glory." He paused, glancing back at Alice. "Her majesty is looking forward to seeing you again."

Alice pulled her eyes away from the forest around them, eying the Rabbit's back. "Are we going to see her? The White Queen? Is the wedding at her palace?" Alice asked, just as quickly as she focused herself losing herself in thought again. She hoped the Queen's domain wasn't much farther. Her feet were beginning to ache, and she longed to sit down for a little.

"Yes, it is. Her Majesty thought the palace would be a suitable venue. Plenty of room, good catering," the White Rabbit replied, looking up at the trees. The blossoms, and even the leaves, were beginning to turn white, a sure sign they were getting close.

Alice noticed the trees as well. Slowly she smiled, reminiscing about the large palace where the White Queen lived. The White Queen's castle was one of her favorite places in all of Wonderland, with the impossibly high skyscrapers, glittering walls that were not quite marble, and the balconies placed so perfectly to where one could walk out and see all of Wonderland it seemed.

Alice sighed wistfully. Just thinking about it, imagining the precession, made her excited. "The wedding will be beautiful, I'm sure," she said happily, then paused. Thinking for a moment, Alice bit her lip. There was a small detail missing from her mental vision. "I have one question," Alice began uncertainly.

The White Rabbit paused when Alice didn't continue, peering over his shoulder. A moment of awkward silence passed. Alice rocked from foot to foot, apparently unsure of how to phrase her bizarre question.

"Well?" the White Rabbit prompted.

"Who's the wife?"

There was a moment of pause in which the White Rabbit and Alice shared a look. The White Rabbit couldn't help but chuckle softly at Alice's innocence, her large doe eyes indicating her question was in no way meant to be insulting. Alice couldn't help but chuckle a little at the dumbfounded look that had briefly passed over the Rabbit's face, proving that he had as little idea as Alice did.

"If you ask me," The Rabbit began, turning around continuing to hop along, "The Cat is."

Alice thought for only a moment before simply nodding in agreement, continuing on.

"Alice, it is wonderful to see you again!"

The White Queen was as lovely as Alice remembered her. A cascade of pure snowy white curls fell in perfect ringlets past her shoulders, black-painted lips popping from flawless alabaster skin. The Queen waited on the steps of the palace, smiling benevolently. Alice couldn't help but think that, with all the white she wore, the White Queen looked like she was the one getting married instead.

Alice skipped up the steps and paused, curtsying before the Queen. "It's wonderful to be back," Alice said honestly.

The White Rabbit hopped his way over to his Queen, bowing politely once he stood before her. "I'm sorry it took us so long, your Highness," he began, hastily striking up a conversation over the wedding preparations. Alice shyly stood back, allowing the two to converse. Instead she settled for turning her back and looking over the land surrounding the palace. Beautiful pure white landscape with flecks of brown where the bark of trees showed through gaps. Petals fluttered in the air, spiraling to the ground. Alice smiled, agreeing that this was a wonderful place for a wedding, and hoped that the wedding would be outside in such a beautiful landscape.

A flash of grey and black caught her attention, off a little ways in the distance, bolting amongst the trees. The white tops of leaves shook violently, and Alice craned her neck trying to get a better look. Suddenly the grey mass launched itself from the trees and hastily fumbled up the stairs, drawing the attention of the card guards, the Queen, and the White Rabbit. Alice heard the Queen gasp loudly in shock.

"Stop stop!" the White Rabbit wailed at the mass of blue, quickly hiding behind the train of the Queen's dress.

"Wait!" Alice quickly yelled at the guards who tried to move in the monster's path. Alice shoved a heart card aside and threw out her arms, shutting her eyes tightly in case the mass of grey fuzz wouldn't stop in time. She vaguely heard the White Rabbit call out her name, but there was no need for concern. The fuzzy creature skidded to a halt and promptly sat on the stairs, sticking his muzzle up to Alice to sniff her cautiously.

A small smile slipped onto Alice's face as she reached out a hand, gently petting blue and black flecked fur. "Remember me?" she asked the bandersnatch softly, reaching up to gingerly scratch behind his furry rounded ears. She smiled kindly at him as he stuck his nose by her face, sniffing and staring at her with those glassy, blank eyes.

Then, suddenly, his hackles went down and the tension drained out of his large, powerful body. Slowly he opened his mouth and proceeded to greet Alice as any polite animal would, licking from her neck to her forehead. Alice flinched at the smell and feeling, forcing a smile at her furry companion.

"Missed you too," she said kindly, petting his muzzle. She could've sworn she heard him purr. The bandersnatch tilted his head up and butted Alice's petite hand, much like a cat would, before laying down on the palace steps. Alice kissed the top of his furry head gently, hearing him snort with appreciation. At least, Alice believed it was.

The Queen looked Alice over in slight dismay, biting her lip as Alice turned around. The girl brushed off her dress and attempted to wipe the saliva off her skin. It wasn't working too well, ending up with her arm covered with the liquid and her face none the cleaner. Alice wasn't dainty by any means, but she had to admit even that was a little disgusting.

"Perhaps a bath before the wedding?" The Queen suggested, pulling out a white handkerchief and gently wiping the slime off of Alice's face as she called back to the White Rabbit, "Do you mind asking the servants to draw a bath for her?"

"Right away, your highness!" the Rabbit responded and saluted before hopping towards the doors, a card guard kind enough to hold the door for him.

Alice was beyond appreciative of the cleaning, giggling when she heard the card guards attempt to move the large creature off of the palace steps. She peered over her shoulder to see the bandersnatch happily asleep, drawing in a deep breath before letting out a sleepy snore that made one of the nearby guards jump.

"Leave him alone! We're having the wedding out back. It will be alright if he stays here," the White Queen commanded softly, her voice kind yet stern, sighing softly before taking Alice's dry arm. "Come on. First a bath, then we shall take you to see the others."

Alice, unable to protest and deciding the Queen was right about her needing a bath, allowed the White Queen to gently drag her towards the castle with one solemn look back at her own friend. Quietly she promised to come back and spend some proper time with her friend...

...once the wedding was over, of course.


End file.
